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Across the hallway, David Stone, 16, heard the same booms while in math class. His teacher herded the class into a closet and locked the door.

“This is not a drill,” an announcer over the school intercom told students.

When the frightened students emerged Thursday from their hiding places at Aztec High School, they learned two of their classmates had been killed. The shooter also was dead and the close-knit community of 6,500 people was thrust into mourning as they became the latest to feel the sting of what seems to be a routine tragedy in the United States.

Police arrived at the school less than a minute after getting the initial calls, which came shortly after the start of first period. With the school in lockdown, they got inside through a window and a door.

It was not clear if the shooter died by suicide or was killed by police. No other injuries were reported.

The Victims

Casey Jordan Marquez, a Senior at Aztec High School, was among one of the students killed. Her Grandparents confirmed this information to KOAT late Thursday.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday evening the second victim in the shooting is Francisco Fernandez. According to a GoFundMe page he was a Junior at Aztec High School.

Why the shooter chose Casey J. Marquez and Francisco I. Fernandez remained a mystery as detectives combed through evidence. So far, they have released few details.

The Witnesses

Garrett Parker was in history class and said he heard what sounded like kids banging on lockers, but as the shooter got closer he realized they were gunshots.

Parker said his classroom door was already locked and when students got word that this was not a drill, they all went ran to the corner of the class out of sight from the door.

Parker adds that when he and his classmates were allowed to exit the school he saw someone right outside the door, dead. He told KOAT he didn’t know who it was.

Sani Polk Withers, the sister of a teacher at Aztec High School, said her brother heard gunshots downstairs pushed the panic button, locked and barricaded the classroom door and told his students to hide the corner.

In addition to teaching Polk is a pastor and a chaplain and Withers said he helped notify the victim’s families.

As one might expect, Withers was visibly emotional as she detailed what was going through her mind while she was waiting to hear that her brother was okay.

The Aftermath

Hours after the gunshots, students and the community gathered in churches, community centers and then a park, braving frigid temperatures for a candlelight vigil. They were trying to make sense of it all. At St Joseph’s Catholic Church, residents came together to say a rosary in honor of the victims.

“Right now we need to keep each other in our hearts and thoughts and take care of each other,” Aztec Mayor Sally Burbridge posted on her Facebook page.

Some residents waved American flags on busy streets.

“This is a tight community,” Marsha Dodd, 51, said while holding a flag in front of Aztec’s Safeway grocery store. “I don’t want this in my community, just peace and love.”

She stood next to Dennis Martinez, 24, who held a sign demanding that teachers be allowed to carry guns.

At the vigil near the town’s main street, pastors from different churches urged students and their parents to pray and speak up if they felt pain. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez spoke briefly and told the crowed “all of New Mexico is with you.”

David Stone and Heaven Angelica Hughes gathered with friends and raised their candles when a speaker urged them not to give into fear. They tried to keep each other’s candles burning. When it was all done, David admitted he may not return to Aztec High. “I don’t know. Maybe I go to home school or something,” he said. He kept replaying the moment when he and others were locked in the closet, not knowing if they were targets.

Aztec is in the heart of northwestern New Mexico’s oil and gas country and near the Navajo Nation. Its main street is lined by old brick buildings that date back more than a century. Officials say it’s a town where everyone knows everyone else and where homecoming festivities are enough to shut down the main street.

Officials say schools across town that shut down Thursday will stay closed Friday.

Sebastian said he didn’t know when he could get his mind back to basketball this season.